Kids Are Wayyyyy Too Funny

Saturday night I went to eat with family friends. These friends have two adorable children, a girl age 7(I’ll call her Belle) and a boy age 1 ½(I’ll call him Crash). These kids are seriously funny. Belle is elegant, prissy, but not afraid to get dirty, already a heck of a hunter as well as a serious basketball player. Crash is all boy, but flirty and funny, too. Both kiddos are sweet, smart as whips and function well around adults.

We’re through eating, visiting, and all of a sudden, Crash sits up straight in his high chair. He has this look of surprise on his face, says something (we’re not sure what) and points to his bottom. We laugh, and so does Crash.

Mom: Hey, Crash. Need to go to the bathroom?

Crash shakes his head no, and goes on playing, sticking a chopstick into one of those square pretzels, then popping the pretzel into his mouth. He’s pretty dang good at it.

The conversation quickly morphs to how loud Crash’s burps are. Belle is avidly describing just how gross her little brother can get, all the while laughing. She laughs so hard, we all laugh. And then we hear it. And it is LOUD. And LOOOOOONG.

“Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrt!”

Mom, Dad, and I all turn to look at Crash, who looks at us, like, “What?” And then, it hits us. That sound emanated from Belle.

We look at Belle, and she’s got this surprised look on her elegant little face, but is half smiling, too. Mom and I look at each other, and start that silent shaking laughter, you know, the kind that is so strong, it hurts? Tears are flowing down our faces. Belle starts laughing, Dad starts laughing, and finally, Crash decides he’ll join in, too.

Lord. You can’t pay for entertainment like this.

*This is a story from my old blog, transferring over a little at a time.  Bear with me!

The Brooke and Cash Chronicles Part 1

This past week found us smack-dab in the middle of the lives of Brooke and Cash, whose 60 year old grandfather Sam passed away, way before his time, last Tuesday.

My cohort in crime, Cash.

ThatManILove and I consider this family our extended family, from the kiddos all the way to the grandparents, so of course, we stepped in to help in any way we could.  We thought, “Oh, we’ll just do whatever is needed...we’ll help them pick up the slack.”

We’ve had some funny moments in a not-so-funny time...which, in retrospect, probably helped us, as well as the family, get through everything.

After leaving the grandparents house late Tuesday night, we show up at Brooke & Cash’ house Wednesday morning, both in our Sequoias, around 6:30 a.m.  ThatManILove goes immediately to the sheep pen, and starts feeding and exercising the show lambs.  I follow TMIL, driving up with breakfast for the family.  TMIL, for some reason, leaves his Sequoia running.  (this will be important later.)

Meanwhile, the neighbor gets nosy, and comes over to see “just who that is mucking around the property” and confronts TMIL.  He tells her that we’re there to help, and that the parental units know we’re there. (I don’t find this out until later.)  The kids’ father comes out to the barn and starts working.

As I’m taking over Mommy duties, I go wake the kiddos up, and feed them breakfast.  I have to leave to take Brooke to school about 8 a.m.  

About 7:50 a.m., I spy Brooke’s lunchbox...and realize it might need to be filled...before we leave.  I go ask Brooke about it, and she tells me what to pack.  Thanks, Brooke’s Mom, for planning ahead and having a cabinet/refrigerator full of food!  You saved me!  Whew!!

Brooke and I get her to school on time, and I come back out to the house.  Cash and I start cleaning up a bit.  Their dad comes in from the sheep pens, and gets ready for work (he has a practice to run) and TMIL comes in and starts helping Cash and I.  The neighbor returns, and starts helping as well.  She makes some remark about TMIL’s car is “still running”.  I don’t even put two and two together. (Keep this in the back of your head.)

We grab some laundry to take it to our house, along with Cash.  We get out to my car, and realize we have no booster seat (he’s 5).  I’ve got to take him to get a dress shirt for the funeral, so we head to the mall.  

Cash:  “Janie, I don’t feel comfortable without my booster seat.”

Janie:  “I know, buddy.  Your mom and dad are in the next town, so I can’t bother them right now.  Make you a deal.  As soon as we get your dress shirt, we’ll go buy you one.  ToysRUs is in the next parking lot, and that’s where we can buy it.”

Cash:   "Well, okay.  But I'm supposed to be in a booster."

We go to store 1 - no dress shirts.  Store 2 has a multitude, but none in his size  (5) in the desired color...so I, to his utter dismay, grab a pink one for him to try on. He’s just not having it.

Cash:  “Janie, I don’t like pink shirts.”

Janie:  “Cash, I just grabbed it so I could see what size you’ll wear, okay?”

Cash:  “Okay...but I’m serious.”

Janie:  (Please, God, let them have a blue one in his size.) “I got ya, Cashman. No pink.”  He won’t even try it on.

This kid cracks me up.  We find a blue one in the right size (6 - yup, he’s grown...or , looking at him now, maybe the shirt I grabbed for him this morning was a wee bit smaller than I initially thought!)  We’re checking out, and of course, there’s a huge gum ball machine at the register.  So, I have to break a one for quarters.  Cash-man promises not to eat them until after we go eat lunch.  And, he doesn’t!

We go to the car, he hops in the backseat, and I buckle him in.

Cash:  “Janie, can we go get my booster seat now?”

Janie:  “Yes, sir, we’re on the way.”

Cash:  “Do we have to go out on the street?”

Janie:  “Yes, we have to cross that street right there, and go into the next parking lot.”

Cash:  “But you’ll be careful, right?  Because I need my booster seat.  I’ll feel better.”

Janie:  “I’ll drive carefully, I promise.  You’re precious cargo.”

I say a little prayer for safety, we make it to ToysRUs, and Cash picks out his booster seat for our car.  And then, he asks if he can get a toy.

We’re on a time schedule.  I tell him if we get all our chores done, ThatManILove or I will bring him back, and he can shop.

Cash: “Well, because it’s been a pretty hard day, and I worked... a lot.”

Janie:  “Yes, it has been, and yes, you’ve worked your little patooty off.  You so deserve a toy.”

Cash:  “When your conference call is over, will you bring me back?”

Janie:  “I will.  I promise.  How’s that booster seat?”

Cash:  “It’s good.  I feel better now.  Are we gonna go meet TMIL for that hot dog? Coz I’m hungry.”

Janie:  “Yes, sir.  We are on the way.”

Cash:  “Okay.  I just want cheese on my hotdog.  And a Pepsi.  And BarBQ Chips.  Okay, Janie?”

God, I love these two kids.  Soooo thankful we’re part of their lives.

They crack me up…messing with my photo moments!

To be continued...

Brooke and her 4H "Jamie's Coconut Cake"

My 10 year old friend Brooke simply amazes me.  We've been good friends since she was 1 1/2 years old.  She works alongside me as my photography assistant, and takes every picture I take on a scheduled shoot. She's won statewide awards in 4H with her photos.  Already.  I LOVE this kid.  And she's not (yet) too big to play in the mud.

This is the end of her first year to raise, work, and show lambs, and she is rockin' Texas.  She just won her 1st Junior Showmanship Buckle in the Texas Best Sheep Show Series.  And now,  we are currently in the middle of our Midland County Livestock Show, and she won some major awards yesterday. (See video!)


While attending school, AND getting her animals ready for the show, 3 days ago, Brooke began the process of baking her cake for her Culinary Arts 4H submission. (During this time, her mom had to go to San Antonio to be with Brooke's grandfather for his surgery.) And at 10 p.m. last night, I arrived with the cake board and doily and watched as Brooke put together the icing ingredients for her cake entry.  Everything had to be made from scratch.  And people, that was some GOOD icing.


Did I tell you that this child has compiled a cookbook that is currently in it's fourth printing?  Read about it here.


She's 10, people.  Ten.  1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10.


Meet my friend Brooke.  She's funny, smart, and has a heart of gold.  I love this child.  Oh, wait.  I said that already.

Little Brother, Advocate for the Elderly

A 2009 Post
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Geoffrey, our little brother in Big Brothers Big Sisters, called Friday night and begged to come stay the weekend.  (He always gets his timing just right!)  I picked him up at Whataburger, where he had just finished a double Whopper with bacon and cheese with his mom and siblings.  We went to meet friends at a new restaurant in town.  

There, Geoff ate another full meal.  While we were there, we also picked up an entree for ThatManILove, who was stuck out in the field and hit the house around 10 p.m.  Whereby, Geoffrey sat down at the table with ThatManILove and finished off his sesame chicken.  The kid is a bottomless pit, I swear.  He cracks me up.

After the hunting field trial yesterday, we stopped by brother Scott’s to see what he would be selling at his auction on Sunday.  An auction house is full of adventure for a 12 year old, just saying.  Geoffrey met all of Scott’s helpers, two of whom are disabled and are on electric scooters due to their ailments.

Geoffrey poked around, asked questions, and generally entertained himself for an hour.  We were about to leave, and he discovered a couple of electric scooters scheduled for auction.  One wasn’t charged - but one was in full operating order.  Geoffrey ran to Scott, and asked permission to ride it, which Scott gave with a grin.

Geoffrey carefully rode around for a while, then  came back to where we were all congregated, and starts talking to Scott’s helpers again.  While doing so, Geoffrey backed the scooter professionally into its original parking space.  Everybody’s watching, and enjoying him.

Geoffrey turns off the scooter, and stands up, grinning like a cheshire cat, and says loudly, “Wow.  Now I know how elderly people have fun.”